Matt Majeski

Profile

The world truly has lost one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. Ray Bradbury, well known science fiction author among thousands of fans, died on June 5th, 2012 after a lengthy illness.

Bradbury is most well known for sci-fi novels like Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles. He was also known for dipping his toes in the fantasy and horror genre, with such novels like Something Wicked This Way Comes. He wrote several upon several short stories, 27 of them being adapted for EC Comics.(read more...)

Carnivals.
Carnivals filled with clowns and cotton candy, merry go rounds and
barkers, game booths and freakish sideshow oddities. What is their
appeal? Why are we so afraid of these malevolent and dark settings,
but are so attracted to them at the same time? What is it about their
colorful and bright atmospheres that make them so inviting and
enjoyable, but yet so bizarre and arcane? This is part of why
carnivals make the perfect setting for any great horror movie,
because they capture exactly just what we love about them: being
frightened and having fun at the same time. Director Tobe Hooper, who
shocked us all with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, understood
this well, and utilizes this place of charm and fear to his
advantage, creating a creepy and menacing cinematic experience that
is The Funhouse.(read more...)

I will always remember April 14th, 2012 as probably the saddest day for any horror fan. It makes me so depressed to report on not only two deaths that happened in the same week, but on the same day too, and of very talented actors at that. The great Jonathan Frid, who was immortalized on television as Barnabas Collins in the daytime gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, died last Saturday at age 87 of natural causes.(read more...)

If I don't hear about any horror fan screaming out into the night at this sad and grim news, then I will truly be surprised! I know there's a few tears in my eyes already. It appears that William Finley, beloved character actor, passed away on April 14th, 2012 due to complications after surgery.

Finley was mainly known for his collaborative efforts with noted director Brian De Palma, whose film credits with him include The Wedding Party, Dionysus, Sisters, and of course, Phantom of the Paradise. Finley was also known for his working relationship with horror film director Tobe Hooper as well, starring in Eaten Alive, The Funhouse and Night Terrors. He also starred in Wise Blood alongside Brad Douriff and wrote the script for The First Time. According to IMDB, his last known role was George Tilden in Brian De Palma's The Black Dahlia.(read more...)

In 1967, an upcoming, unknown film director named George A. Romero set out to make a movie with his production company Image Ten and a group of unknown actors and actresses in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. That film in question was none other than Night of the Living Dead! Filmed in more than 4 weeks and shot on a minimal budget of $114,000, Night shocked audiences when it first premiered on October 1st, 1968, and still does so to this day. The film also managed to pave the way for independent filmmakers, along with bringing horror closer to the real world.

One of the most prominent locations where the movie was shot was Evans City Cemetery, located 30 miles north of Pittsburgh. The cemetery has been a host to several NOTLD fans ever since the film broke through the barriers of pop culture, and it still stands as one of the few locations left of the film.(read more...)